As curator of this year’s Beyond Emerging Artists programme at Abu Dhabi Art, Syrian-born, Cambridge-based artist Issam Kourbaj brings a uniquely poetic and deeply reflective perspective to the UAE’s flourishing creative scene. Known for weaving themes of memory, displacement, and archaeology into his own artistic practice, Kourbaj approaches curation with the same sensitivity — one that prioritizes place, narrative, and the imprint of time.

This year, he has reimagined the programme entirely, expanding it beyond the fast-paced environment of the fair and rooting it in Al Ain, a city rich with heritage, landscapes, and histories that served as a conceptual anchor for the participating artists.

Two Cities, One Dialogue: Why the Exhibition Spans Abu Dhabi and Al Ain

Traditionally, the Beyond Emerging Artists exhibition lived solely within the walls of the fair, limited to a few fleeting days. But the moment Kourbaj began working on his own commissioned installations in Al Ain, he sensed a powerful opportunity.

He wondered: What if emerging artists could also respond to this environment? What if the work could breathe beyond the fair?

By presenting the exhibition simultaneously in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi, he created a dual experience:

• Manarat Al Saadiyat — fast, energetic, and time-bound.

• Al Ain — spacious, slow, rooted in landscape and heritage.

This contrast allows the works to unfold differently, inviting viewers into new rhythms of seeing and interacting.

Guiding Artists Beyond the Gallery Walls

For many early-career artists, a gallery or fair booth is the familiar stage. But Kourbaj pushed the participants — Maktoum Al Maktoum, Alla Abdunabi, and Salmah Almansoori — to begin instead with the city, not the white cube.

He encouraged them to think about the idea embedded in the word العين (al ain), which means both “eye” and “spring of water.”
This dual meaning shaped the conceptual framework: perception, memory, origins, and landscape.

Kourbaj’s curatorial method was intentionally open:
He showed them the sites, offered his perspective, but never dictated the direction.
“What would you do?” he asked — an invitation to explore, respond, and claim the environment as part of their work.

Three Artists, Three Visions

Each artist approached Al Ain from a different cultural and conceptual lens:

• Maktoum Al Maktoum – Excavating Ancient Tales

His practice draws from myth, collective memory, and storytelling. In Al Ain’s archaeological context, he prompts viewers to question long-held beliefs and narratives from the past.

• Alla Abdunabi – Water as a Universal Connection

Originally from Libya, Abdunabi bridges her North African heritage with the oases of Al Ain. Through her work, water becomes a poetic thread linking geographies, identities, and histories.

• Salmah Almansoori – Material Memory from the Oasis

Hailing from the Western Region of the UAE, Almansoori draws inspiration from Bedouin traditions. She transforms parts of oasis trees into handmade paper that functions like fabric, resulting in sculptural works that echo the landscape’s textures.

A Programme That Strengthens the UAE’s Cultural Ecosystem

Kourbaj believes that Beyond Emerging Artists plays a vital role in nurturing the UAE’s art community. With funding, mentorship, and opportunities to exhibit locally and internationally, the programme offers young artists a rare and generous platform.

The UAE’s art scene is expanding rapidly, and what stands out for Kourbaj is the inclusivity:
not only Emirati voices, but residents from across the region are welcomed into the creative conversation.

Kourbaj’s Own Work: “An Eye Palimpsest” Across Al Ain

In parallel to curating the programme, Kourbaj created a series of three installations titled An Eye Palimpsest, located at:

• Al Hili Archaeological Park

• Qattara Centre

• The newly opened Al Ain Museum

The works explore layered memory and the shifting ways we see — fittingly echoing the double meaning of al ain. They invite viewers to reorient their vision and contemplate time, history, and the traces we leave behind.

Final Reflection

By bringing emerging artists into dialogue with Al Ain’s landscapes, archaeology, and living heritage, Issam Kourbaj has expanded the possibilities of what art can become — not just an object on display, but an encounter with place, memory, and the act of seeing itself.

Abu Dhabi Art runs from 19 to 23 November.